Chocolate Desperado
by SlvrSoleAlchmst1
Summary: The moment Hal Ridner meets Mello, things become complicated. Now if she wants to face Kira and bring justice, she'll have to do it from two sides. Though she trusts Near and values the SPK, Mello's recklessness may be the factor that will help them win.
1. Mello

She felt the gun at the back of her head just outside her apartment complex. Hal Ridner froze. It served her right for taking the side way, down the alley with the looming dumpsters and rickety fire escapes. She was a woman. She was alone. And even though she was CIA…

She was a target.

"I have no intention of killing you."

Ridner heard the voice as if in a daze. She didn't dare turn around to see whom the voice belonged to. Then finally her brain snapped into action.

Kira? No. Chances that Kira would need to threaten her with a gun before killing her were slim. But it could have been a ploy, a way for Kira to get her to turn around so he could see her face. Ridner forced herself to take a deep breath. Losing her grip would only get her killed faster. No — it wasn't Kira. Near suspected the new L of being Kira. L was miles away, tying up loose ends with the Japanese Taskforce after the death of Deputy Director Yagami.

She needed to focus. The person behind her likely wasn't connected to the Kira case at all. Only a small percentage of highly trained officials knew that she was involved with the SPK. There was a robber behind her, or a wanted criminal, perhaps. Kira couldn't have eliminated them all yet. Anything was possible. Within the next two seconds she might even be dead, and then all her hypothesizing would have gone to waste.

"You're thinking too hard. I said I _wasn't_ going to kill you."

The voice jerked Ridner away from the furious clockwork of her mind. "Th-Then put the gun down," she demanded, working quickly to form some plan of escape.

She didn't expect that the gun's wielder would comply, but he did. Ridner blinked, and slowly, she lowered her hands to her sides.

"Go ahead and turn around now, Halle Bullook. Though it's actually Hal Ridner now, isn't it?"

Ridner fought to keep her features composed. He knew her name. Her _real_ name. This was indeed someone who was familiar with Near and the SPK. Should she do as she was told? She stood there, faltering, and without warning a snap echoed in the hollow tunnel of the alleyway.

The CIA agent whirled around, her hand flying to her jacket where she kept her firearm accessible at all times. She was too slow. Her attacker's gun was pointing between her eyes when she turned.

"That wasn't very smart," came the low snicker.

One vicious, dark eye bored into her from underneath a head of golden hair, while the other was hidden behind a starchy bandage that covered half his face. Leather and chains hugged his slender figure, and he stood casually — as if her resistance meant little to his calculations. Ridner swallowed. His indifference frightened her.

But it was the chocolate that caught her attention once her initial shock had passed. Chocolate, hanging from between his teeth as he grinned at her. He lifted a gloved hand to grasp the shiny wrapper, and with deliberate obviousness, he snapped off another piece. It was the same sound that had rang out before. Ridner felt herself sag with embarrassment.

"Are you always this jumpy?" The gun lowered again.

She thought of running, but her limbs had gone numb. "What do you want?"

His grin expanded, flashing feral teeth at her through his amusement. "Didn't Near tell you who I am?"

Ridner gasped aloud. There was no guesswork left now – the wraith before her knew everything, and he was drawing her out to where she couldn't wriggle free. She wasn't sure that she wanted to play all her cards yet, but the boy looked impatient and she was unmistakably cornered.

"You're Mello," Ridner murmured.

Mello laughed and tucked his weapon away at the waist of his pants. "That's right."

So Mello had traced her. Ridner felt sensation returning to her nerves little by little, and she frowned. Near hadn't yet foreseen this. What would he want her to do in this situation? It was clear that Mello wasn't going to harm her, at least not at present. He wanted something.

It was Ridner's job to figure out what it was.

"Don't look at me like that," Mello said, extending his tongue to lick the jagged edges of his chocolate with his good eye trained on her. "Let's talk inside."

So inside she led him. What choice did she have? Mello followed her without a word, watching her keenly as she fumbled for her keys and unlocked her apartment door with a dry click. His heavy boots clunked over the threshold, and by the time she had flicked on the lights and steadied her breathing, the leather-clad boy had spread himself out on her couch.

His boots found the coffee table, and Ridner resisted the urge to shove his feet off her furniture. He was watching her, following her every movement, and finally the silence became too much for Ridner to stand.

"Tell me what you're doing here," she gritted with as much composure as she could muster.

"I want to see Near."

"Then why didn't you just go straight to headquarters?"

Mello shot her a disgusted sneer. "Don't play stupid with me, Hal."

Ridner shuddered when her first name rolled off his lips. "Ridner," she corrected. "It's Ridner."

For a moment, Mello's one eye widened in surprise. "Is that what Near calls you?" he asked her, looking indignant.

She stalled for as long as his probing gaze would allow. Was he trying to glean some sort of information from her by asking her such a question?

Suddenly Ridner hated herself. She'd been caught off guard in the alley, had a gun pointed at her head, and now Near's rival was sitting on her couch. Mello was known to be impulsive and unpredictable. He'd even had contact with gangs and drug cartels. She didn't know what he was thinking, and therefore she didn't know how she ought to act. All her CIA training seemed irrelevant, and now Mello was biting his chocolate again and fixing her with a look that said he deemed her just as useless as she currently felt.

"Yes," she finally breathed, placing her keys on the counter in her tiny kitchenette. The truth was best under these circumstances. "Near and the other SPK members call me Ridner."

Mello had polished off his chocolate. He crumpled the wrapper and tossed it onto the coffee table beside his feet. Ridner kept her face passive.

"Near hasn't got a shred of human emotion in him," Mello snarled, shifting in his fury. "He thinks people are all just puzzle pieces to be used and discarded. If he calls you Ridner, I'm calling you Hal."

Ridner's brow darkened, and she opened her mouth before she could help herself. "Near doesn't use people half as much as you do, Mello," she said, wishing she could simply clap him in handcuffs and truck him downtown. Mello's face twisted. "When you had the notebook, your mafia was nothing but a group of experiments. Now they're all dead. That makes you lower than Near by a long shot."

Mello was off the coach and lunging at her before she could react. His leather grip found her throat, and once he had seized her, he squeezed.

"Don't compare me to that toy-obsessed _child_," Mello spat, hissing in her face as he sought to throttle her life away. "I may have used those men, but Kira would have killed them at some point anyway. And who went farther in the investigation? Me or Near? I was the one who had the real notebook in my hands."

Ridner choked. "_Had_," she managed to stress. But Deputy Director Yagami and the Japanese Taskforce had cornered him in his hideout. That was why Mello now stood before her with bandages over his face. The explosion he'd used to escape must have burned away his flesh. He'd failed in the end, and now Ridner had living proof to use to her advantage.

Her hands flew up to grab Mello's wrists and pry him loose. She escaped the stranglehold with the ease of practice. Ridner tossed the blonde boy to the floor, instinct and reflex guiding her movements. But Mello was nimble and quick. He lashed out, and Ridner went down with him, feeling Mello's elbow jab her in the tangle of thrashing limbs that ensued. At last they stilled. Mello was flat on his back with the female CIA agent sprawled atop him, anchoring him down like a renegade hot air balloon.

Ridner went for the gun that Mello had stowed at his waist. There was a click, and this time the barrel was aimed away from her.

"You killed all but four members of the SPK," she growled, ignoring the strands of platinum hair that fell into her eyes as she held Mello at bay.

Mello's chest heaved. "I left _you_ alive, didn't I?" He grunted painfully and sought to wriggle free of her grip.

Ridner let him up. She had his weapon now, and he couldn't threaten her. Mello stood with a small groan, and his hand found his left shoulder beneath his jacket. It was then that Ridner noticed the bandages that swathed him there as well. She knitted her eyebrows when he inched his sleeve away to shed the restricting garment.

"You blew yourself up like a first class terrorist," Ridner observed wryly.

Mello reached up a hand and removed the bandages that hid his face. "Does it scare you?" he asked.

A crisscross of ridges etched their way over his skin, and Ridner bit back a hiss. Then Mello ridded himself of the gauze that hugged his neck and shoulder to reveal more of the same brutal markings.

"This is what happens when you risk everything," Mello snarled, his tone perilous. "This is endurance, Hal. This is determination."

Ridner opened her mouth as if to respond, but thought better of it. She lowered the gun and placed it carefully on the counter beside her. Mello collapsed back onto the couch and hid his face in one gloved hand.

"I screwed up," he growled. "But I'm not done yet." His eyes burned, and Hal Ridner took a step back.

"You're going to help me," Mello continued. "Near thinks he knows everything, but _I'm_ going to catch Kira first and avenge L."

"What are you going to do?" Ridner asked him.

Mello's face twisted into a crazed, toothy grin. "This country's justice system is as good as worthless right now. Near knows that. He's going to think of dissolving the SPK."

Ridner's eyes flew wide. "Di-Dissolving the SPK? Why would he do that?"

Mello fished a new bar of chocolate from the pocket of his discarded jacket. The silver wrapper crinkled, and he bit down sharply. "He'll do it to avoid trouble from the US government, which is now siding with Kira. And he'll do it to make himself more accessible to me."

"Why to you?"

Mello looked at her as if her stupidity pained him. "Near can predict what I'm going to do. I want his information. And he'll give it to me, because he knows I've got _different_ information that _he_ doesn't yet. We'll trade."

Ridner's suspicions peaked. If what Near had told the SPK was true, Near and Mello had grown up as orphans at Wammy's House, training to become the next L. The two child prodigies had never gotten along, and Mello had instigated Near at every opportunity. Mello had always been second, and he resented Near because of Near's constant ability to emerge on top.

"That doesn't make sense," Ridner started. "You and Near are rivals. Why would you two exchange information?"

Mello rose from the couch and tucked one hand casually into the pocket of his tight leather pants, smirking at her. "You should keep your nose out of things that you don't understand, Hal." He crossed the space between them and stopped when he was close enough for her to see the flecks of chocolate at the corners of his mouth.

"You're reckless, Mello," she said, straining to turn her face away as he pulled her forward by her collar. Her features crinkled in distaste.

"Say what you want," he responded, viciously. "But I'm going to catch Kira the way that I see fit."

Ridner didn't dare flinch. They were standing too close, and Mello smelled of sweat and gunpowder, carrying the overbearing scent of sweet chocolate. He stepped away to give her breathing room.

"I'll contact you again," he told her. "And if you tell Near, you're finished."

Ridner swallowed, but nodded obediently. What other choice did she have? This move was nothing that Near had anticipated, at least not yet. She'd have to sort through this on her own, make her own judgment calls. Not long ago, Mello had voluntarily blasted himself apart to avoid playing by the rules. The CIA agent now had reason to suspect that Mello had other plans equally as insane in his faulty repertoire.

Mello motioned for his gun, and Ridner handed it to him. Without a word, he swaggered out of her apartment. Ridner let out a sigh and immediately began to seek a solution.

_A/N: So you'll have some forewarning, this story is going to take me ages to update. (It's kind of on my backburner.) Also, my beta whom I hearts is MIA, so she hasn't edited this yet. I went ahead and posted it anyway, because I'm eager for some feedback on the idea._

_There were so many hints in the manga about connections Mello and Hal might have had, so I wanted to delve into that while following the canon plotline. Also, we don't know enough about Ridner. I had some trouble figuring out whether I should use "Ridner" or "Lidner" to refer to her, but finally the former won out. It sounds stronger to me, and she's a strong woman. I know the US translation of Death Note uses "Lidner," and that's what I'm going by for most other references, but… meh. If my choice annoys anyone terribly, I apologize._

_Please look forward to the rest of the story, even if it does take me a while!_


	2. Choosing Sides

Close to a week passed by, and Ridner began to feel nervous. She had neither seen nor heard from Mello since the day he'd threatened her in the alley and followed her into her apartment, and she couldn't help but wonder what his next move would be. The constant worrying wasn't doing her job any good in the long run. Near kept asking her if she was ill. Lester told her that perhaps she needed a day off. They probably thought that the Kira case had begun to take its toll on her. But it was Mello that occupied her mind day after day, and at night when her CIA toughness fell away, and even she, Hal Ridner, felt fear.

When she opened her door and found Mello in her kitchenette, rummaging for milk to wash down his chocolate, she almost collapsed in relief.

"Mello. What are you doing?" She kept her tone hard, lest he realize that she'd been shaken by his absence, and now mollified by his fresh appearance.

"Calm down, Hal," he said. "I'm making sure you're okay."

The use of her first name again sparked something within her, a little switch in the back of her mind. She didn't like him using it. "What do you mean? Everything's fine. Unless you count the fact that you've been lurking around my apartment while I'm gone. That's not exactly comforting."

The swift snap of chocolate drew her eyes to meet his. "It's no use lying to me, Hal. I've had Matt watching you these past few days. You're getting careless."

She blinked back her surprise. "Matt?"

"Friend of mine." He brushed her question aside and closed the refrigerator. "You left your door unlocked this morning."

Ridner jerked. "I-Impossible."

Mello only snickered. "I watched the footage of you leaving. You put the keys away in your purse without locking the door. Stupid move for a woman alone in New York. Even stupider for a member of the SPK that might be targeted by Kira."

Ridner chewed on her lower lip as Mello's half-amused gaze bored into her like his eyes were twin nails. "I must have gotten distracted," she said smoothly. She didn't like his assumption that she was weak simply because she was female.

"Sloppy, Hal." Mello swallowed the chocolate that inhibited his speech before going on. "That's why I came in. I searched for wires and bugs that might have been placed by your enemies in your absence."

"There isn't anything like that in here," she gritted. "But now I suppose I'll have to check to make sure that _you_ didn't plant anything. Going to blow _me_ up too?" Mello only sneered. Ridner gritted her teeth.

Mello had had the opportunity to comb her residence for anything he might have been looking for – information regarding the SPK and Near's movements, files on Kira's latest victims… The knowledge made her burn with shame and resentment. Not only did she have no idea about Mello's motives, but she'd been careless enough to allow him access to her home while she was not in it.

Near might have thrown her off the investigation for a mistake like that.

Mello monitored her discreetly, the leather of his outfit creaking as he moved to perch on her countertop. "Tell me what's wrong, Hal."

Hal Ridner was taken by surprise. He didn't sound entirely insincere, but she still didn't trust him. She settled for a clipped response.

"I'm fine. I don't believe I owe you any explanations."

Mello continued to stare at her, but she was a CIA agent, well trained in the art of deception. He may not believe her to be telling to truth, but he had no way of proving that she was lying, either — _that_ Ridner was confident of.

"You're wondering why Near still hasn't figured out what's going on," Mello said. "Why he's allowed me to threaten you for such a long time, when it seems like he knows everything else right away. You're worried that you're being used."

Ridner didn't answer.

The blonde boy snorted. "It's because Near, smart as he is, simply doesn't feel anything when it comes to people and emotions. He's like the former L that way. He's cold. Maybe even _more_ cold than L was."

Ridner narrowed her eyes. "I disagree," she countered. "Near values the members of the SPK, and he never gives us orders without asking if we're comfortable with following them first." Then another thought seemed to strike her. "I want you to tell me why you still haven't contacted him, Mello."

Mello shrugged his pale shoulders and lifted one corner of his mouth in another sneer. Ridner watched his scarred face stretch like a grotesque strip of animal hide.

"I'm just biding my time. You'll have to trust me."

"That's ridiculous." She watched a sheet of anger plaster itself over Mello's face. He seemed to be attempting to reign it in.

"I didn't hurt you. I didn't even hurt Near. I'm biding my time until I can see Near myself and get some information. It's not that difficult to understand."

Ridner put her briefcase down and smoothed her dress suit in the pause that followed. "You're a criminal."

Mello straightened, furious, and Ridner took a cautious step back.

"A criminal? Why? Because I used the mafia to get me the notebook? Because I kidnapped Yagami's daughter and then the old man ended up dying? I'm one of the good guys! I did it to catch _Kira_. Kira's the one that's evil, a murderer." His eyes were on fire, his stance feral and threatening and quick to instill fright.

Ridner's lips formed a tight line, and she spoke calmly despite Mello's outburst. "It was messy and reckless of you. If you had joined forces with Near all those years ago, then maybe—"

"With _Near_?" Mello exploded, pacing the length of her small living room and tearing at his reams of golden hair, "Don't you get it? I don't want to do it Near's way! I just want Kira dead. He killed L. _Kira killed L_ and I'm going to avenge him without Near's help, because Near only cares about the case and stupid justice, while I want _revenge_."

"You're wrong," Ridner whispered. "Near wants revenge too."

Mello spat his reply at her with a ferocious snarl. "Just shut up."

Ridner took note of the way he slammed his boots down onto her floor, the rage in his posture as he tensed his shoulders and flexed his gloved fingers, as if yearning to strike out at something solid. Mello had come so close to victory, she realized, witnessing his ire as he fumed back and forth before her like a ravaging cyclone of black leather and pale skin. He'd nearly succeeded, and probably could have captured Kira already if it hadn't been for the setback that had left him scarred and without a strategy. He didn't look like the type that could sit still, either.

The female CIA agent tried not to let his situation affect her, but at once her own emotions rose to the surface to connect to his sentiments. She as well wanted to catch Kira. It was why she had joined the SPK. It was why she had put her life in the hands of a strange, pale teenager that liked to play with dominos and model airplanes. Kira was not God; he was not justice. Ridner had sworn to help destroy him. She, Near and the SPK were working toward that goal.

And so was Mello. The only difference was that Mello had chosen a separate path, and had failed thus far. His frustration was something that she felt as well.

Ridner moved forward and cut Mello off mid step. His pacing halted. She reached out both hands and placed them on his shoulders, before shifting one upward and letting it settle in his golden hair. If Mello thought Near was incapable of human affection, she would prove to Mello that _she_ was not. Her heart leapt to her throat and sweat beaded at the back of her neck; she was undeniably, inarguably _frightened_ of Mello. She tried not to focus on the bile in her throat. Perhaps they could come to some agreement.

Ridner kept as far from Mello as possible despite their proximity, and her eyes were hard with caution. Her move was risky, but necessary. Mello froze at her touch.

"Mello," she said, "Failing once doesn't mean you've lost everything."

For a moment, the fury flared in Mello's piercing eyes, and Ridner thought he was going to strike her. Instead he jerked free of her grasp. Then he stayed where he was and stared at her.

"You must be crazy, Hal Ridner," Mello snickered finally. "I thought you were afraid of me."

"Whether I'm afraid or not doesn't matter. Being scared isn't in my job description." She swallowed. "We all want the same thing. My first priority is the SPK, but I'll agree to help you as well. If I can."

Mello swiped his weapon up and held it between them, aiming at Ridner's chest. "Don't forget that you never really had a choice in the matter," he alerted her slyly. Ridner grimaced.

"You're making this harder than it has to be," she mumbled. "I already said I'd cooperate because I also want to catch Kira."

Mello grinned, but it was wild and sinister. "Then maybe it's _me_ who doesn't trust _you_ now, because you're one of Near's and suddenly you're being too cooperative for my liking."

Ridner felt an involuntary twitch of fury near her temple. "Don't toy with me, Mello."

He put up his gun and avoided her eyes. "Don't worry, I won't."

Ridner tightened her jaw to keep it from dropping open in surprise. His reply had been the last thing she'd expected. Was he trying to lure her into a false sense of security?

Mello donned his jacket and brushed past her. Their shoulders made contact, and Ridner felt a jolt travel through her body at his touch. He halted just after he passed, then pivoted to grab her by the arm and haul her around to face him.

"Hal."

There seemed to be a struggle taking place inside his head. Ridner waited, but at last he released her.

Mello stormed his way to the door with a final order. "Just remember to tell me everything Near does."


	3. Disbanded

Near stood in front of the television, one finger curled in his snowy hair. Ridner's eyes flicked away from the screen and over to his hunched figure. What was he thinking? His shoulders were tense, his mouth a thin line. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that murder painted his features like a mural.

But this was Near. And Near was Justice.

"I want both of you to be quiet," Near said as the reporter on the screen announced the arrival of the Vice President of the United States. "I believe I know what this man is going to say, but even so—" he set a toy car rolling with his toe "—I'd like to catch every detail."

Ridner exchanged a glance with Lester, whose face was arranged into a wall of stone. They both knew that Near's orders were unnecessary. The child detective already assumed that neither Lester nor Ridner would dare speak a word. Lester and Ridner knew that the broadcast was being recorded on two different VCRs; even if one of them were to _yawn_, Near would be able to go back and review the tapes. Still, Ridner kept her face passive.

The cameras zoomed in on the Vice President's podium. The man looked timid and cowed. Was this what Kira had done to the world's strongest super power? Ridner could see the sweat forming on his brow as he mentioned once again the fate of the country's President.

"We've discovered that the President's death is connected to his attempts to capture Kira…"

Ridner wondered where Mello was. Whether he was watching the broadcast from wherever he was hiding, or maybe if he'd infiltrated the crowd of reporters in front of the podium to make a personal appearance. She wouldn't put it past him. Lester cleared his throat, and Ridner realized that she had been neglecting to blink. She gave him a curt nod to let him know that he had gotten her attention. The tall man then motioned to Near, who was clutching the corners of his white pajamas. His knuckles blended in to the material with their paleness.

Cameras kept flashing on the giant television screen. The Vice President was trembling. Someone was yelling. The CIA agent swallowed carefully. She too had expected the inevitable announcement. Both Near and Mello had long ago predicted that the United States would declare its allegiance to Kira. Still, she had not thought it would shock her to hear the words spoken live from the Vice President's lips. No, not the Vice President – this man now reigned over the United States as _President_, because the former President was dead.

Ridner felt sick. "What's going to happen to us now?" she asked calmly, for the announcement had ended and Near had turned away from the flickering screen in disgust.

There was no hesitation in Near's response. "We're going to be dissolved."

Ridner felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. It was just as Mello had predicted. Mello had read Near's moves like the pages in a third grader's notebook. Her eyes flew wide.

Near took no notice of her reaction. "Thanks to that chicken-shit President… No, he's not a chicken. He's not even a _maggot_…"

Ridner saw Lester shift uncomfortably. Near's muttering trailed off, but the lines in his face were hard and resolute.

The small communication screen in the corner flicked on.

"Near!" It was Gevanni, panting from the driver's seat of his car. "Near, I just saw the broadcast from inside the coffee shop. I-I can't believe it. And approximately thirty percent of the customers inside showed a positive reaction to the President's development."

Lester grimaced. "Thirty percent… What's the matter with these people?"

"Very good, Gevanni." Near was back to his exterior calm, crouched on the floor in front of a pile of dominos. He stacked them coolly, as if the news suddenly bored him. "Come back now. We'll discuss this further after you arrive."

Gevanni paused. He shot Ridner a look as the connection buzzed and wobbled. It wasn't hard for the CIA agent to read the expression in his eyes. Near had already told them to expect the United States to submit. Gevanni didn't know what was left to discuss.

She cleared her throat. "Near wants to dissolve the SPK," she alerted him in a monotone, and Gevanni's lips parted in protest. Lester shook his head sharply before the younger man could say anything.

"Enough, all three of you," Near interrupted, while a red robot careened into his domino tower. "Gevanni, come back. Lester, Ridner, go take a break, but keep your eyes out for signs of anything… suspicious."

Lester lifted his eyebrows. Ridner's voice caught in her throat. A sigh echoed from Gevanni's screen, but it switched off obediently. Ridner searched Near's curled form as if the white slate of his back held answers. He wanted time alone to think? Near could usually do his thinking with the other members of the SPK in the same room. The sudden dismissal made her nervous.

"You may come back in exactly thirty-four minutes," Near said, and Lester took her by the arm to guide her swiftly out.

The door clicked shut behind them, and they stood in the hallway of the empty SPK building. Lester cracked his knuckles and adjusted the buttons on his shirt cuff, looking slightly uneasy.

"What are we going to do?" Ridner asked.

Lester paused. He glanced out the window at the city lights that spread like diamonds over the black of night. Ridner followed his gaze. Was Kira out there somewhere, looking out his own window and laughing in triumph?

"We're going to do what Near said and take a break," Lester decided. "We're going to have coffee." He removed the cell phone from his pocket and dialed. "Gevanni? Near has given us thirty-four minutes to ourselves. We now have thirty-two of those minutes remaining. How far are you from the coffee shop?"

Ridner walked silently to the window, then decided against it. She didn't want to think about Kira. She didn't want to think about what would happen if Near really decided to dissolve the SPK.

Gevanni's voice sounded indignant over the crackle of the cell connection. He answered something, but Ridner couldn't hear him.

"Turn the car back around and get us coffee," Lester ordered, while Gevanni mumbled something else. "There's time yet. We're going to need it." He hung up and shut the cell phone with a snap.

"Do you think Near is making the right decision?" Ridner asked quietly, and Lester began ambling his way down the hall to one of the conference rooms.

"It doesn't matter what I think," Lester responded, arms stiff at his sides as if he itched to snap something in two but didn't dare. "All we can do is obey Near. He hasn't been wrong yet. He can be trusted. You should know that better than any of us, Ridner."

The CIA agent faltered in her steps. "Why me?" She meant the question to refer to Lester's comment, but it echoed again in her head, readjusting itself to apply to Mello. Why _had_ Mello chosen to contact her? Why not Gevanni or Lester instead?

"Near talks to you more than he talks to anyone else," Lester exclaimed, pulling out a swivel chair and taking a seat at the oblong conference table. The room was sleek, sterile, and empty. The lights made Ridner squint.

"That isn't true," she countered. She remained standing, folding her arms and positioning herself at the doorjamb like a guard dog. After a moment, she gave herself a little shake and joined her coworker in sitting down. Near had given them a break, so she didn't need to play bodyguard for herself or anyone else. She trusted Near; they weren't in danger. And yet, Near had _still_ told them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious… Did he already suspect movement from Mello?

"Near addresses you and Gevanni far more than he addresses me," Ridner said distantly, struggling to force the thought of Near's blonde rival out of her mind for good.

"But when he wants something," Lester pressed, "When he isn't talking about something related to the case, or when it involves his toys or his own wellbeing, who does he confide in?"

Ridner monitored the older man carefully. "Me," she replied, though the female agent had no idea what was being suggested.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking you're expendable," Lester said, almost crossly, and finally Ridner understood. "You're just as important to the SPK as Gevanni and I are. Why do you think you're still alive?"

The CIA agent bit her lip. _Because Mello _left_ me alive_, she wanted to say.

"Don't let it distract you from the case," Lester went on, and the door swung open as Gevanni entered with three take-out cups of coffee. "You're an integral part of this organization."

"The organization that Near wants to dissolve, you mean," Gevanni corrected darkly, handing them each a cup in reflection. Lester shot him a disapproving frown. Ridner ignored them. She knew that her associates were only trying to protect her. But she didn't need protecting, and it wasn't Near's actions that were infiltrating her head. It was Mello's.

However it had happened, Hal Ridner had become a double agent. The coffee burned her tongue, but she didn't flinch.

"What are we going to do?" Gevanni asked, tossing the dark hair out of his eyes as he blew on his drink. "We can't do this without Near, and I'm not leaving him."

"I know," Lester delivered in his deep bass. He hadn't touched his coffee.

"I'll admit I get nervous sometimes, what with the strange things that Near asks us to do…" Gevanni trailed off. Ridner watched him from the corner of her eye. "But it's far more dangerous outside the SPK than in it, no matter how I look at the situation."

Ridner sipped her coffee without really tasting it. "I agree."

Gevanni met her eye and looked relieved. "You do?"

"Yes," she said coolly, though at once she felt a chill. She wasn't so sure anymore. If Near wanted to dissolve the SPK, how far beyond that would he go with his actions? Was it truly safer to be with Near, the child who simultaneously played with toys and hunted Kira like a bloodthirsty sniper? Or would it be smarter to place her faith in Mello, the one who had blown himself up but had gotten his hands on the notebook?

Lester checked his watch. "Six minutes exactly until Near will want us back."

Gevanni exhaled a tight breath. "This is ridiculous."

Ridner stood up, tossing her half-empty coffee cup into the garbage bin by the door. "This is the only choice we have," she said. "Let's go."

They trudged back into the main room, where Near sat facing them on the floor. His eyes widened.

"Why do all of you look so depressed?"

None of them answered him.

"I'm not really dissolving the SPK, you know. I only plan to have the President _announce_ that we are dissolving. To Kira and the rest of the world, we will appear disbanded. That will be to our advantage. The SPK, of course, will still remain in full operation undercover."

Ridner heard a collective gasp from the two men on either side of her. She nodded once to Near.

"Of course," she said. The tension trickled out of her limbs even as she branded herself a fool for worrying.

_A/N: Yes, Near. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to appear in this story, but I can't exactly follow Ridner through the canon without giving him some appearances. He'll be in the next chapter too. For a while, I AM going to be trailing the canon very closely, but hopefully I've managed to keep it fresh by inserting Ridner's thoughts and a few of my own extra bits. (Then again, who really remembers the details about Ridner and the SPK anyway? I think I'll be fine…) Thanks for sticking with me thus far._


	4. Spotlight

Lester and Gevanni stared at the back of Near's head as Near listed the merits of dissolving their organization. Ridner held her breath. She had known through Mello that Near would come to note the collapse in the US justice system – and Near had said the breakup was fake – but still, the words leaving Near's lips caused discomfort to course through her body. Gevanni looked ill.

"I want all of you to put yourselves in Mello's position," Near said after that, and Ridner's ears perked up. So Near _had_ known that Mello was stirring. "The spy has given you the names and faces of the SPK members. Would you kill all of them?" He asked the question darkly, curling a finger in his hair as he examined his toy train. "Would you kill all of them, knowing that there would be some members of the SPK that still wouldn't die?"

Ridner swallowed, the pieces falling together bit by bit. She was beginning to comprehend just why Mello had left Near and three of his associates alive.

"I'd at least keep one of them alive," Lester volunteered. It was the answer Near was looking for, and the child detective nodded in agreement.

Mello hadn't had a choice about who to keep alive after all. Ridner wanted to curse – Mello had lied to her and made her think that he'd purposely chosen to let her live. She carefully schooled her features. Her brain whirred as she filtered through the facts. The spy that Mello had originally planted in the SPK had given Mello _all_ of their names; Mello had wanted them all to die. He probably intended to leave at least Near and one other agent, but instead he'd gotten _three_ still-thriving agents, because three of them had possessed false names. Mello's spy hadn't known that. He'd brought what he thought was faultless information to the mafia safe-house where Mello had been staying. Mello himself had anticipated the complication, but in a perfect world, he'd have hoped to eliminate more of them than he did.

But which single agent would Mello have chosen to leave alive? Or been _forced_ to leave alive? Ridner felt sweat collecting on her upper lip. Her, Lester, or Gevanni? Surely Mello had known that the three of them were the closest to Near. Maybe Mello _had_ been telling the truth. Maybe he _had_ wanted Ridner alive after all, and he'd meant to kill the other two males.

She didn't have time to wade through the mire of deceit. Near was beginning to look hopeful and excited.

"It will be easy to get the Vice President to announce that the SPK is disbanding," he said. "And Mello is all alone right now. He has no one to rely on…"

For a split second, Ridner felt a jolt of pity. It didn't last long. She thought of Mello's determination. She remembered the way he had persuaded her to help him, albeit with the use of his gun. She also distinctly recalled the mention of a "friend of his" by name of Matt. Suddenly, she felt more pity for Near than she did for Mello. Mello was not alone.

"I don't believe that he's abandoned his desire to be number one," Near continued, and Ridner nodded in silent agreement. "Since he wants to get Kira before I do, he'll definitely want the information I have."

Ridner checked Near's words against Mello's. Mello had admitted to wanting the same thing. An information exchange.

"But judging from the way Mello's been acting, won't it be dangerous to come in contact with him?" Lester asked, his voice gruff and urgent.

"Very dangerous," Near revealed, and Ridner felt a tiny chill travel down her spine. "So when the time comes, I want you all to do as he says." Ridner thanked her lucky stars that she had possessed the foresight to do so already. "Give him all the information we have. Especially the fact that the new L might be Kira, and that I have his photograph. The next move is up to him."

This time Ridner felt a static charge short-circuit her brain. Near wanted them to _freely_ give information to Mello? She could understand a direct exchange between both boys, but why would Near feel comfortable offering his findings through his associates when there was no guarantee of any gain in return? Her hands trembled, and she brushed them over the wrinkles in her suit jacket to buy herself time to collect her thoughts. Near was taking a tremendous risk…

The child detective kept talking, alerting them to the smaller arrangements that would have to be accounted for before Mello made his move. They would need to report to headquarters every day to check in. Bugs and cameras would also be placed into the rooms of their residences.

Lester threw out his hands, palms up as if begging Near to reconsider. "B-But even if we give all the information to Mello, won't he try to kill us so we won't tell you about him?"

Near's face showed no trace of emotion as he answered Lester's inquiry. "That may very well happen." He paused, and a tremor of nervousness seemed to pass from Lester, to Gevanni, and finally to Ridner, who felt her heart rate rocket into panic mode. "But I have faith in your excellent skills," Near added, and the remark placated them slightly.

Near's next announcement was one that Ridner expected. It was the reason why she trusted Near with her life, the reason why she had disagreed with Mello when he'd called Near inhuman.

"If you're scared, you don't have to participate," Near offered coolly. "But please don't leave the headquarters." Then his voice sank low and soft. He tilted his head to the side and rested it on one knee, watching his train go by on its electric track. "_I'm_ scared, so I'm not going outside."

There was a moment of silence. Near raised his head. "What do you think?" he asked his team. "Especially you, Hal Ridner."

"Me?"

"Let me put this plainly." Near's voice was hard. "Other than Lester and me, Mello should have known _everybody's_ information."

_Ah,_ Ridner thought. So it was only Lester that Mello had expected to let live alongside Near. She and Gevanni were supposed to have been discarded long ago. Now she knew for certain what Mello had been thinking. She inwardly thanked Near for offering her the truth, blunt as the information was.

"But now it seems Mello has decided not to kill you. You're still not dead, and neither is Gevanni. If I were Mello, I would choose to get the information from you, Ridner – a woman. There's a better chance of escaping or overcoming you due to physical differences…" Ridner wanted to roll her eyes; she'd trapped Mello beneath her on the floor and taken his gun once already. "…and it's unlikely, even for the SPK, to invade a woman's privacy using wires and cameras."

Ridner found it difficult to keep from stammering. "S-So you're certain that Mello will contact us?" she asked, strongly regretting that Near had not chosen to alert them of his suspicions sooner. Now it would be twice as hard for her to hide the fact that she'd already become involved with Mello.

"No," Near said. "The chances are sixty-forty. And if contact takes place as suspected, a seventy percent chance for Ridner, twenty-five percent for Gevanni, and five percent for Commander Lester."

Ridner had always taken comfort in Near's calculated percentages. Now she resented them.

"I don't mind doing it," Gevanni volunteered immediately, shooting Ridner a glance that she caught from her peripherals. Everyone was watching her.

What was the best choice? If she refused, Near would know at once that she and Mello had already been in contact. But Near's percentage was also bound to turn out correct, and Mello would most likely come after her - _again_, as it were. It was obvious now why Mello had been biding time. He was waiting for Near to figure it out. And now that he had, Mello would make his real move. She could probably expect Mello at her residence within twenty-four hours. The CIA agent froze. She was truly in danger, but it was too late to back down.

"Okay, I'll do it too," she agreed. She had no choice _but_ to agree. "But the 'L is Kira' theory has been circulating since Kira first appeared. Will Mello believe this when he's told?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Near snorted. "Anybody who knows that the true L is dead will believe it." The boy's voice burned with a passion and vengeance that Ridner had not before heard him release. His sudden resemblance to Mello was uncanny.

It wasn't long before Near dismissed them. Ridner donned her jacket slowly, listening to the sounds of Near playing in the background. Lester clamped her shoulder in a friendly gesture on his way out. He didn't have his overcoat on. Ridner nodded once to him, knowing that he would stay the night to watch over Near. Gevanni passed her entirely, distracted, it seemed, by the decision of whether to stay or leave. Then he doubled back and offered to escort her out.

They took the elevator down, and to Ridner, the ride seemed to last for ages. At last they stepped out and passed through the pristine lobby. The glass doors to the outside slid open, and the night was cold as they exited into it.

"If you'd rather stay at my place tonight," Gevanni murmured urgently, "I have no problem with that. I can give you the key and you can sleep in the guest room."

"Don't overreact," Ridner grunted, her shoes clicking eerily on the wet pavement of the sidewalk. It had been raining. "That would hinder the entire plan."

"You're right," Gevanni muttered, swiping the hair from his eyes and stopping under a pool of yellow from a streetlamp. "I'm just worried for you, Hal, that's all. Call headquarters if anything happens. Did you grab the wires that you're going to need? Oh, yeah, I can see that one on your jacket…"

Ridner let a smile quirk at the edges of her lips. It was almost familiar for a moment, the dark-haired man's concern. Years ago, they had shared a short relationship that had fallen through. But that was in the past, and now the longing to catch Kira was the only desire they had in common.

"I'm trained in five kinds of martial arts," she reminded Gevanni, her face going grave again the moment she had finished the sentence. "I've made it this far. I don't think that Mello can so easily kill me."

Gevanni shook his head, waved, and retreated back inside the SPK building. Hal Ridner fisted her hands and began walking resolutely toward her home.

Mello would be there, waiting. She was almost sure of it.

_A/N: Tedious chapter. I apologize, but I felt I needed it in there. Mello will come back in the next chapter, and when that happens, you know it's bound to get interesting again. Author Promise of Honor!_


	5. Dangerous

_A/N: Yes, I posted two chapters today. Double posting because I felt that everyone would need some Mellowy Mello after all that Near. :P_

Ridner passed numerous late commuters on her way home. She rode the subway like a wraith, her mind on nothing but the case… and Mello. The cuffs of her pants were wet from splashing recklessly through puddles.

She passed the sports bar on the corner, roughly a block away from her apartment. It was the only time she had found herself able to pull her mind away from its inward musings. The plasma televisions inside had flickered in blues and reds, but there hadn't been any football or hockey scores visible. The people inside were watching Sakura TV, and Ridner felt sick when she saw Demegawa's face filling the screen.

The door to her apartment complex creaked when it opened. She greeted the doorkeeper on the way in with a nod. She took the keys from her pocket, and then her steps slowed.

Mello might really be waiting on the other side of her door.

She hoped that Near's bug wouldn't pick up quickened breathing or a higher-than-average heartbeat. The key turned, and the female CIA agent pushed her door open slowly.

There were no lights on. She flicked the switch near the kitchen counter, letting out her breath in a whoosh when the whole of the room was illuminated.

"Ridner?" crackled the receiver in her ear. It was Lester. "What's the situation?"

"All clear," Ridner responded, moving immediately to check the hall closet and the adjacent rooms. "There's no sign of entry, forced or otherwise. Looks like it's fine for tonight."

"Are you sure?" came Near's voice from somewhere distant, sharp and alert like a radar tracker. "Check again please, Ridner."

She did. She checked _three_ times. "No, there's nothing, Near."

"Very well. You may retire now. Please make sure to return to headquarters first thing tomorrow morning, even though it's Sunday."

There was a slight shuffling on the other end, and Ridner heard Lester's voice again. "Stay vigilant."

"Yes sir." She removed the receiver from her ear and placed it on the bedside table. "I'm going to bed now." Next she turned off the microphone on her jacket. Her apartment echoed with the sound of a passing siren outside, and suddenly Hal Ridner realized that it was far too quiet.

She had expected the telltale chink of metal, the heavy clomp of a boot on her floors, the creak of tight leather. Ridner undid the buckle on her belt and slid mechanically out of her work clothes, not bothering to change into a nightgown before climbing under the covers of her blanket. She had been anticipating the scent of church incense, the jingle of Mello's beaded rosary, the clipped noise of chocolate being bitten by sharp teeth. She was exhausted, but her eyes would not close.

Hal Ridner was a smart woman, and it did not take her long to realize what was bothering her.

She examined her emotions from an objective standpoint. As a woman of little affection, she was prone to distancing herself. That had been one of the things that she and Gevanni had argued over. Ridner had never let her feelings get the better of her – she was stoic and impenetrable and harsh about ninety-two percent of the time, as Near had once told her. She remembered how her eyes had widened at the pale detective's remark. The CIA agent may have been crafted almost entirely of brick, but she was still human. Mello had broken into her routine of diligence and service. Never before had she felt such terror, such uncertainty, or such… excitement. It was only natural that she grew accustomed to those emotions over the past week, and only natural for her to feel disappointed when it seemed her intriguing situation had come to an end. Maybe Mello _wouldn't_ contact her again after all.

Ridner rolled over, the sheets scratchy and rough against her bare skin. She was drawn to Mello, whether out of curiosity or some odd attraction, she didn't know. But Hal Ridner knew one thing. She would never let it alter her loyalties to the cause. She wanted Kira brought down. What she felt for Mello, or Near, or anyone else involved in her life… That simply had nothing to do with it.

She stuck an arm under her pillow to get comfortable, surprised when she heard a crinkle.

Ridner propped herself up on her elbows and felt around until her hand closed on a sheet of notebook paper. She flicked her bedside lamp back on, pulse quickening.

It was a note from Mello.

"_Near's finally figured it out, hasn't he?"_ it read, in a spidery scrawl that was at once both sloppy and elegant. _"That means that I'll be making a move, and you're the first one I'm going to contact, Hal. If you speak a word to Near, I'll kill you. You know that, so don't do anything stupid. And by the way – doesn't a woman like you keep any chocolate in her house? That's really obnoxious."_ It was signed with Mello's name in a rushed-looking cursive.

Ridner read the letter through twice, searching carefully for any signs of Mello's whereabouts. Finding none, she placed the letter on the bedside table.

Before she fell asleep, Hal Ridner almost smiled.

◊ ◊ ◊

The next time she entered her apartment, Mello _was_ waiting.

Ridner brought a finger to her mouth to motion him to silence. His gun was already at her temple, but she remained calm. Mello might kill her, but at the current moment, it was unlikely.

She stressed again the need to be silent, and Mello shot her a warning glare that was full of confusion. He was frustrated with her; his psychotic eyes popped from beneath the hood he wore, and his chocolate bar froze halfway to his mouth. Ridner ignored his wrath. At least he wasn't making noise. Now was not the time to lose her cool and give the game away.

"Near," she said into the bug on her collar, and Mello put up his gun as sudden comprehension struck. "I want to take a shower, so I'm taking the wire off for a while." She knew at once that whoever was listening at headquarters would wonder why she wasn't first setting up the cameras she'd been given. Ridner held back a sigh. She didn't have time to worry about that. She ushered Mello into her bathroom and tried not to slam the door.

When she'd clicked the lock closed, she let out a breath of relief. "Mello."

Mello's grin was toothy and defiant. "Miss me?"

"Hardly." Ridner tossed her jacket onto the back of the toilet bowl. She took a step toward the towel closet, only to find that her bathroom was smaller than she'd anticipated and that Mello lurked in her way.

"You should know better than to lie to me, Hal," Mello grinned, chomping down on his chocolate like his jaws were a bear trap. "The truth is that you would have liked me to get here sooner. Sorry - but I had other priorities to worry about."

Ridner gritted her teeth. "I couldn't care less what your business is, Mello, unless it has to do with me or Near." She paused. "And I really do have to take a shower."

Mello's look of disgust was almost endearing. "You were serious?"

"Yes. Move, please."

His gun came up and hovered an inch from her right eye. "You're hardly in a position to be giving me orders."

The female CIA agent didn't like staring down the barrel of the blonde boy's gun, but she kept her voice steady. "Unless you want desperately to get in with me, I don't see why you'd be opposed to me taking a shower."

Mello lowered his weapon and removed his hood. "Fine. Go." He leaned against the wall and took another bite of chocolate.

Ridner waited.

"_What?_ Jesus, Hal, just get in the shower. Modesty is a luxury you can't afford right now." His growl clashed with the crackle of his candy wrapper.

Ridner stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed, still fully dressed in blouse, skirt, and undergarments.

"Women," Mello grumbled, and Ridner made sure that her blouse landed square across his vision when she tossed it out.

"Make sure you fold it," she added tartly.

But she hadn't meant to provoke him.

Mello's gun went off with a violent bang. She heard the shatter of her bathroom mirror in a cascade of glass explosions.

Ridner swore. She stuck her head around the shower curtain to assess the damage and calm Mello down. Mello's gun was immediately in her face. She swallowed. Perhaps she'd gone too far. Yes, she had most certainly let her guard down. Near had warned them all that Mello was dangerous and unpredictable, and somehow she had managed to forget that fact between the front door and the shower.

"Near will have heard that," Ridner lied, sweat beading on the back of her neck when Mello pressed the gun hard against the underside of her chin.

"No," Mello whispered, perilous and tight. "I watched you turn the bug completely off. And that was your mistake, Hal, because now Near won't even hear you scream." But he didn't move. There was a long pause. "Get the fuck into the shower, _now_. Hurry up. And quit pissing me off." Ridner obeyed.

She turned the water hot, to scald away the shivers that had crawled up and down her spine at Mello's menace. When the steam began to fog the tile and she was sure her voice would hold no sign of a tremor, Ridner addressed Mello again.

Her voice displayed a business-like clip. "Near came to the conclusion that you would try to contact me, but I don't think he knew that we had already met."

Mello's response hissed low over the steam. "It's so like Near to think that way…" There was something of familiarity in his tone, something like regret and hatred mingled as one. Ridner noted the curious reaction and moved on.

"You no longer have the notebook, so all you can threaten me with is the gun, right? You can't control me, and if you use the gun to kill me, it's only going to make it easier to track you down."

Mello was silent, but Ridner could see the outline of his slender figure through the curtain. She wondered vaguely how he was reacting to her low level of cooperation. But he still hadn't harmed her. She had a chance.

"I'm going to have to place cameras in all my rooms after this. Excluding the bathroom, of course."

She scrubbed at one of her arms, more defiant than she had anticipated herself to be. Now was not the time to remind herself how much she hated Mello's mode of operation. Near had told her to obey him. Some part of her longed to anger Mello further, but she chalked that up to recklessness and the slow flow of events at headquarters and ignored it.

She made sure her voice was as neutral as possible. "So what are you going to do? Live in the bathroom?" Mello still chose not to grace her with a reply. "It's okay with me," she threw out strategically, to see whether any sort of hint at innuendo would force him to respond. "I don't mind having you around."

Mello only snorted rudely. She hadn't expected him to do much else. Ridner twisted the water to cold and let freezing droplets run over her back instead. Mello would not be distracted, nor would he volunteer to her any of his information through any means. He would only sit quietly until she had delivered all that Near had ordered her to deliver. She didn't like it, but she complied.

"Near also thinks that the new L is Kira," she said, reaching out to turn the knob off with a slippery hand.

"L?!" Mello exploded. He simmered for a moment, while Ridner wrapped herself in her towel.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, drawing the curtain back. She narrowed her eyes and scanned Mello for his gun. It was hanging loosely at his side. She stepped out and began to dry her hair. There was no use getting worked up over modesty – Mello had been right. There were far more important matters at hand. The CIA agent was careful to avoid the shards of mirror on the rug.

The leftover steam curled around Mello like ribbons of soft cloud, and he eyed her suspiciously as she crossed to the medicine cabinet. "Hal, whose side are you on? Mine or Near's?" The fur that lined his coat had gone limp from the moisture.

"I already told you a week ago, didn't I? I'm on nobody's side. You, Near, and I all want to capture Kira. We're all after the same goal."

Mello did not appear satisfied. He chewed on the corner of his lower lip, staring off into space with a frown. Ridner did not like being unaware of what he was thinking. He was too unpredictable – she didn't trust him the way that she trusted Near.

"So what are you going to do?" Ridner asked a third time, preparing to open the bathroom door. "Are you going to run away? If you do, I'm going to tell Near that you were hiding in my bathroom, and that I met you here. Or do you want to meet me later somewhere else?"

Mello only looked indecisive for one second more. Then he pushed off from the wall and faced her directly. "Hal, go back to headquarters."

Ridner felt her confidence waver for the first time since he'd broken her mirror. "What?" But Mello stood resolute, eyes burning with what she knew was a threat. "I've got no reason to go back there right now," Ridner tried again.

The mouth of Mello's gun was fast becoming her best friend.

"Make one up," Mello ordered roughly, leather gloves squeaking against metal as he fingered the trigger. "Go back."

He held the gun with a steady hand, but something below his wrist glinted as it swayed in the bathroom light. Ridner let her eyes flick downward. It was the tiny figure of a cross, an intricate charm dangling off the base of Mello's weapon. She raised her eyes again to meet his.

"Okay, okay," Ridner said, in a tone that she hoped was somewhat soothing. "Stop pointing that thing at me."

All Mello did was grin. Ridner dressed quickly, and soon she was retracing her steps to the SPK. Mello followed, humming to himself as he finished off his bar of chocolate. She was leading him right to his nemesis, and she didn't know whether the new development was good or bad for any of them in the long run. All she knew was that Mello was being rash and unpredictable again, and this time _she_ was the cause of it. She had thrown Mello over the edge – backed him into a corner. She hadn't even had the chance to give him all the information that Near had told them to pass along. Mello knew nothing of the photograph that Near possessed. They trudged through the night, careful not to catch the attention of passersby.

Near was going to have her head.


	6. The Race

The hallway to Near's room at headquarters had never seemed so long. Ridner walked it calmly, pretending not to feel the barrel pressed hard and cold against the back of her skull.

"One wrong move, Hal," Mello hissed into her ear from behind, "And I'll blow your brains out and leave them for Near to pick up."

Ridner shivered, but she knew she was probably safe. The security cameras would have already alerted the rest of the SPK to Mello's presence, and Lester and Near would be taking action. The steel door at the end of the hallway blipped – a mechanic plea for identification. When Mello snarled and fingered the trigger, Ridner prepared to provide them entry, but the plasma screen flickered on and a face filled its frame.

"It's all right – Near has already given Mello permission to come in." It was Gevanni. He looked at Ridner. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances," the CIA agent answered coolly, and Mello threw back his head and laughed.

"Just open the door," he demanded. "Let me see Near. Now." Gevanni's face disappeared and the door slid open with a metallic clang.

"I can't believe this, Mello," Ridner muttered, but Mello had gone silent as they strode down the inner hallway, closer and closer to Near, and Ridner's safety. In fact, Ridner couldn't even hear Mello breathing any more. Was their rivalry truly so intense?

"Stop," Mello ordered in a whisper once they'd reached the final door. He moved around in front of her, his gun still glued to her head. "One barrier left between us," he gritted to himself. "Finally…" Mello sprang forward then, as if he'd lost all control.

He bashed the door in with what seemed to be a wild spasm of his leg.

"NEAR," he shrieked maniacally.

He dragged Ridner inside and placed her in front, to shield himself from Gevanni and Lester's guns. Ridner strove to stand still.

"Welcome, Mello," Near responded, unperturbed. He was crouched on the floor in the middle of the room, his back to everything except for his toys. Mello snarled, vicious and low like an animal that knew he was three feet away from his prey and much faster.

Ridner couldn't see Mello's face from her dangerous position. She felt a brush of fur – Mello was taking off his hood – and she caught Gevanni's nervous gaze. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head one tiny increment to the right, straining to communicate that he should lower his weapon. She knew her attempt was of no use until Near gave the order himself, but even so, she ached to take action.

"Drop your gun," Lester yelled at Mello. Ridner grimaced. The man had bad timing.

"That goes for everybody," Near added quickly. "Put your guns down. It's meaningless to shed any blood here."

Gevanni raised his weapon higher. "But Mello killed the other SPK members, and he kidnapped and killed the Japanese Police Director."

"We have no proof of that," Near snapped. "And I think Kira is the one who killed the Director, but that's not important now. Don't make me say it again."

Ridner's eyes went wide at the anger in Near's voice. For a child that was always entirely emotionless…

"There is zero gain for us in killing Mello right now," the pale detective went on. "He got the notebook once, and was able to get closer to Kira than any of us. That's something that we should respect, and pointing a gun at him is just plain rude."

Ridner noted the looks of utter shock on the faces of her associates and wondered if her own features reflected the same surprise. They lowered their guns ruefully, but Mello kept his against Ridner's head for a long moment. She could feel Mello's heartbeat racing against her back. He was bursting with adrenaline, but when he finally lifted the nozzle of his gun, his voice came out crisp and appreciative.

"Well said, Near," he delivered.

There was a pregnant pause, and Ridner glanced at Mello before refocusing on Near. Neither party seemed to know what to say.

It was Mello that broke the awkward silence. "So everything's gone as you imagined?"

Lester looked confused when Near answered an affirmative, adding afterward, "Though I didn't expect you to come all the way here…"

Ridner's sharp eyes picked up the twitch in Near's shoulders. She struggled to work out the subtext in her mind. There was something deeper flying between these two boys, something they shared that was more than their desperate desire to capture Kira. She knew they had grown up at Wammy's House, but had the past they shared been something more than the past of mere acquaintances? Near went silent again, and Ridner tried to gauge Mello's reaction. Perhaps, long ago, the two of them had been friends – worked together, laughed together, fought together. Their goals to each become the next L might have simply torn them apart.

As if Near could sense what she was thinking, he addressed Mello again. This time it was cruel. "Thanks to you, Mello, I have been able to greatly narrow down my suspects for Kira."

The announcement was enough to make Mello snap. Ridner couldn't help but think that things might have continued in a smooth fashion if Near weren't so rocky with his social skills.

"Near," Mello gritted, flinging Ridner aside and charging to the center of the floor where Near crouched, "I'm not a tool for you to use to solve the puzzle!" He aimed his gun between Near's shoulder blades.

Lester and Gevanni lurched into action, bringing their own guns back up to cut Mello off. Ridner saw Mello's hand tremble; the charm on the bottom of his firearm jangled, but he held the weapon sideways with a straight arm. She recalled Mello using the same phrases when she'd first met him, accusing Near of treating people like tools. The female CIA agent stared hard at Near.

"Commander Lester," Near said harshly, "Don't make me repeat myself. Please lower your gun." Lester gasped his astonishment, but before he could protest, Near added, "Mello, if you want to shoot me, shoot."

The command struck Mello like a punch to the gut; Ridner could see it on his face as he staggered back a step in stunned indignation. Near played calmly with his robots. Mello was to shoot him? A flow of emotion slid across Mello's puckered face – fury, disbelief, lust for manslaughter - until it was clear that he didn't know what to do. At last he took a reckless step forward and closed his finger over the trigger with a sound that meant, "_So be it."_

Ridner moved so speedily that she wasn't sure she had moved at all, until she found her body directly between Mello and Near. Her hand clamped around the barrel of Mello's gun as she made a barrier of herself.

She was the only one that could stop Mello from killing Near. Her own life ceased to matter; training took over.

"Mello, if you kill Near right now, then everything will be meaningless," she stressed, hardly hearing her voice leave her mouth as she negotiated at gunpoint. "If you shoot him, _we'll_ be left with no choice but to shoot _you_. What good is there in both of you dying? That will only make Kira happy."

Mello's eyes flew wide and he grimaced. After a long second of reflection, he met Ridner's stare. Lester grunted something. Gevanni tucked his gun away, convinced that Ridner had done the job.

Very slowly, Ridner released her hold on Mello's weapon. Mello let his gun arm fall, all the while keeping his unbroken gaze locked on her. Was he trying to read a motive in her actions? She hadn't been thinking about what her interception might mean in terms of double-crossing either of the two boys. She was simply speaking truth – Near could not die, not here, not now, and neither could Mello. They'd never catch Kira with two of the most important players dead.

At last, a wry smile graced Mello's lips. His vision flickered over Ridner, and he released a snort of appreciation. Ridner knew he was thanking her. She stepped aside.

"She's right, Near," Mello announced. "I just came to get the photo you have of me."

Ridner bit back a gasp. She hadn't alerted Mello about the photograph. How had he known?

"Yes," Near said casually, as if the entire commotion had never taken place. The female CIA agent felt her heart rate return to its normal status. Near produced the picture and held it between two nimble fingers. "This is the only remaining photograph, and there are no copies of it. Also, the surveillance cameras here only monitor, they don't record. I've contacted all the members of Wammy's House and anyone else from your past that would know your face. It's not a hundred percent perfect, but I think it's safe to say that you won't be killed by the notebook."

Mello's hands hung limply at his sides as he advanced to take the photograph. Ridner caught a flash of golden blonde hair on the glossy sheet, a defiant looking child's face…

Then Mello flipped it over, and at once he faltered. Ridner read the inscription over his shoulder. "_Dear Mello,"_ it read, and that was all.

So Near had known all along that Mello would be coming, and that he would be handing Mello the precious photograph himself. Ridner watched Mello swallow, something like regret fused with nostalgia in his eyes. Everything had been within Near's calculations from the start.

"Near," Mello ventured, "I have no intention of joining forces with you."

"I know."

"But it would upset me to receive this picture without giving anything in return…" Near straightened, caught off guard. Mello took a deep breath. "The murder notebook," he said, "It's a Shinigami's notebook, and people who touch it are able to see the Shinigami."

Lester and Gevanni began to talk over each other in their haste to protest, while Ridner gaped. How could gods of death possibly exist? She monitored both Near and Mello closely, refusing to formulate an opinion either way. She knew Mello by now, and Mello probably wouldn't lie about such a thing, but then again, Near had provoked him…

"Who's going to believe that?" Gevanni scoffed, but Near lifted his head.

"_I_ believe him," the pale detective said firmly. Mello's shoulders sagged in relief. "What advantage is there for Mello in coming up with such a stupid story about Shinigami really existing?" he asked. "If he were telling me a lie, he would tell me a normal, more meaningful one. Therefore, Shinigami exist."

Ridner exchanged glances with Gevanni and Lester, while Mello passed Near more information about his encounter with the black notebook. Near's responses were cool and calculating, and the two cooperated without further incident. Ridner wondered whether they realized just how alike they truly were. She felt a pang for the both of them. If they had ever been friends, they had been torn apart by competition, and separated further by their individual pursuits to punish crime and injustice. She tuned out the words in favor of watching their faces.

Rivals as they were… if they had to, they would still sacrifice for each other.

"That's all the information I can give you," Mello finished, spinning away and tucking his gun neatly down the front of his pants. He began to retreat.

Then Mello and Near called out each other's names in unison, and the tension resounded. Ridner and the others waited with bated breath.

"Which one of us will get to Kira first?" Mello asked around a bar of chocolate that he'd taken from his pocket.

Near completed Mello's thought, one finger twisting in his white locks. "The race is on."

Mello left, his voice echoing down the hallway while the rest of them breathed a sigh. "Our destination is the same, Near. I'll be waiting for you when you get there."

Ridner let him go. There were a lot of things she wanted to ask Mello, but following him out would give the game away. She would have to sit tight until the blonde deemed it necessary to contact her again.

"Turn the monitors back on," Near said. "I want to make sure he doesn't do anything rash as he's leaving."


	7. Near

Things only grew more complicated as time passed.

Ridner remembered watching Kira's Kingdom on the television screens, while Lester cursed Demegawa's name and Near muttered to himself from beside his never-ending pile of toys. Mello had traded information with Near, but so far, no new advancements had been made. Ridner knew better than to rush anything, but factoring Mello into her lifestyle had caused her to grow restless. It wasn't about sitting still and taking orders any more. It wasn't about hiding inside a sterile-looking room and piecing together facts. She wanted to be outside, maybe even in Japan, prowling the Sakura TV station to find the answers they needed.

Hal Ridner had never felt so useless in her life.

"Calm down," Lester had said, his powerful hand clamping onto her shoulder one morning when he offered her coffee. "Near will have a breakthrough. It's only a matter of time." But did they _have_ time anymore?

Now they waited at headquarters again, Gevanni at the computer, Lester guarding the door, and Near spread out in a corner on the tile. "Ridner," he said, and the female CIA agent stepped dutifully to Near's side. "Please get my tarot cards from the closet. I need to do some thinking…"

Ridner obliged silently. She rummaged in Near's toy closet, pushing aside building blocks, loose dice, and action figures. When she returned with the deck of cards, Near got to his feet and faced her.

Near hardly ever bothered to stand. Ridner wiped her face clean of emotion, though a bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Have you spoken with Mello?" he asked her.

She wondered whether Near suspected her to be working with the blonde boy, or if he was simply curious about Mello's whereabouts. "I haven't," she said carefully. Near only nodded and folded his legs neatly under himself once more.

He spread the tarot cards around him in a circle, face down. Ridner watched him swipe a lock of hair from his eyes next. Near was not a child any longer, she realized. Though he sat on the floor and played with toys, wriggling his toes in his clean white socks, he was just as dangerous as Mello was. He was almost an adult, and a formidable adversary to anyone that dared oppose him, never mind Kira or the Japanese Taskforce. For the first time, Ridner noticed the angles in his face, the way his tempered shoulders forced the thin material of his pajamas to conform to his shape. Near was powerful, and Ridner had no reason to doubt him. It was Mello – Mello's fault for blasting into her life like a loose cannon and feeding her the poison of a pattern that was not her own.

Her loyalties had always lain with Near. Aiding Mello may yet come to help the SPK, but until then, she needed to focus. She needed to help Near.

"Near."

The young detective looked up, creases of a half-frown still clinging to his face. "Is there something you wanted, Ridner?"

She knelt beside Near and took the deck of tarot cards from his hands. Without daring to think about her actions, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his hunched form.

From over Near's shoulder, she saw Lester's jaw fall open. He closed it quickly, then cleared his throat, which caused Gevanni to turn from his computer and mimic much the same reaction. Near felt slight and cold in Ridner's arms, but she held on.

"Agent Ridner," Near addressed her flatly.

"Yes."

"You do not strike me as an affectionate type of woman."

Gevanni muffled a snort, and Lester shot the younger man a smoldering glare. Ridner waited until they had silenced themselves to answer the boy that she held in her grasp.

"You'll have to forgive me," she apologized. "I felt it was necessary to boost your morale." She felt awkward, but she didn't let go.

"My morale does not need to be boosted. Perhaps you might try hugging Gevanni." Near paused and Gevanni went white. "Or… is it _your_ morale that needs boosting, Hal Ridner?" Near's hair was soft and fragrant. He squirmed in Ridner's grasp.

"I didn't mean to suggest that I was incapable of retaining my normal work status," Ridner responded automatically. "I am also fine, and do not need a morale boost."

"Then I'd like you to release me if this has nothing to do with the case. I neither want nor need your attention, and if you do not let go, I will be forced to assume that my inquiry about Mello made you guilty because you're working with him behind my back."

Ridner made sure that she hesitated and drew away slowly, so as not to prove the pale boy correct. Inwardly, however, she jerked back in alarm at his implication. Did Near know about her relationship with Mello? When she stood, Near continued with his tarot cards. Lester shot her a look that said he'd want to ask her about her sudden strangeness later, when it wouldn't disturb Near's musings. Ridner had only wanted to prove Mello's theory wrong. Was it possible that anyone could be so entirely cold and unfeeling?

She got her answer when Near contacted L.

"L," Near said, "I caught Mello. But he escaped." Ridner and the others had exchanged bewildered looks.

L's voice came smooth and confident over the communication link, despite the obvious distortion. "Near, Mello didn't escape. You let him get away. Am I right?"

"No," Near lied with a straight face, "He really did escape. I'm pretty impressed at how he got away from under our noses."

The pale boy negotiated with every once of cunning that he possessed. Ridner wondered what purpose Near could possibly have to use Mello as an object in his investigation. Were the blonde present, Ridner knew he would be furious.

They talked about the information Mello had offered. L knew about the Shinigami. He had one with him. He and his team had seen the original L's face. Ridner watched Near's eyes light up. Near was reaching a peak point, and she stewed in anticipation.

"Then how about this?" Near proposed, grinning in a manner that was almost sinister as he awaited L's reply. "I'll write Mello's name in the notebook."

The floor dropped from beneath Ridner's feet. _No, _she wanted to cry out. Near would never do such a thing, would he? She had monitored their exchange the night Mello had been in her bathroom. As much as Near and Mello hated each other, they wouldn't needlessly sacrifice each other's lives for the sake of evidence. Near wanted to collect his _own_ evidence, and he wouldn't kill Mello after Mello had let him live, either.

But Mello hadn't exactly let Near live. Ridner had stopped him from pulling the trigger by a hasty show of force. Who was to say that Mello hadn't stopped for _her_ sake, rather than Near's?

"Obviously, Mello will get the death sentence if he's caught," Near murmured into the microphone. "So _I'll_ take responsibility for writing Mello's name down, since I let him escape after getting my hands on him."

Ridner risked a jump in her figuring. Near was more than likely bluffing – he had to be. She pressed a hand against her chest, as if the motion would slow her speeding heart rate.

"If Mello dies, and I die thirteen days after writing his name down, Kira wins. And I have no problem with that." When Near finished, L asked to break the connection so that he could discuss things with his team. Near agreed, then turned to the three behind him. "Don't worry," he alerted them, his void eyes lingering on Ridner the longest, "They will decide not to use the notebook. I will not be asked to write Mello's name, nor will I have to put myself in danger."

"But if you're wrong, Near?" Lester pressed. "If they do decide it's okay to use the note?"

"Then Mello and I will die," Near said, "And Kira will win." Ridner gulped. Near was sure enough of the results to take a disturbing leap. She would simply have to trust him.

L came back on the line. Near shuffled his circle of tarot cards.

"Near, we can't bring ourselves to test the notebook, whatever the reason."

Near removed his microphone and clicked off the connection. "As expected." His lips turned up in what Ridner decided was a frightening smile of triumph.

Near had tossed them all around lately, back and forth in a mire of uncertainty, and Ridner hardly knew which way was up. She would do anything to finish Kira, but she would have to work to become even more diligent and observant than before. There was no room for mistakes. The investigation was moving forward, and she was undeniably caught in the whirlwind.

A few days later, Mello called her on her cell phone.

She answered the call without thinking, while Lester examined the data on her computer screen and Near played with a model of an airplane that he'd constructed.

Her pulse raced when she heard the familiar voice in her ear. "Hal, it's me. Get Near." There were a thousand questions Ridner wanted to ask Mello, like how he had gained access to her private cell phone number, or why he was contacting her when she sat in the middle of SPK headquarters. Why he was asking for _Near_, of all people?

She handed Near the phone. She had little other choice. "Near… It's Mello."

All Near did was reach for the device like he'd been expecting the call. Ridner stood by and listened as best she could, head reeling. What exactly was going on? She heard Mello tell Near, "Now it's my turn to use you," but then Lester guided her off to one side to show her the image on the surveillance camera. There was a man standing outside.

"Mogi?" Near echoed with the telephone against his ear, and Ridner knew at once that Mogi was the man on the screen. Had Mello called to tip Near off and gain himself some safe information in the process? It was risky, Ridner knew, for Mello to send someone else to SPK headquarters. Near had let Mello leave unharmed, even though he knew every detail about Near's location. Mello could blow their cover completely. Ridner prayed that Mello truly did mean to cooperate, at least momentarily, and that the call wasn't another of Mello's impulsive plans to throw Near out of the race for Kira.

"Let that man in please," Near requested next, and Ridner did so. Apparently Mello's tip-off had been legitimate.

Near put Mello's call on speaker. Lester led Mogi to a chair. The tangle of deceit and lies wove itself deeper, but Ridner's attention stayed on Mello and Near. They worked together. They bantered like partners, for the sake of extracting information from the Japanese Taskforce – even if all of them knew that it was only a temporary truce. They were able to cooperate.

Perhaps Ridner had never been wrong in choosing to help both Mello _and_ Near.

Perhaps Near had already realized this, and that was why he had chosen not to punish Ridner for being in communication with Mello.

Either way, listening to the two boys putting L in the hot seat made her feel fulfilled. They were getting somewhere.

Kira would be caught.


	8. Fearless

_A/N: Sorry for the wait. Guess who's back in this chapter? 'Bout time on my part. And in the NEXT chapter there'll be a special guest. Props if you can guess who ahead of time. (Well, not like it's hard….)_

Everything went wrong after Near told L snidely that he believed L to be Kira. Ridner thought they needed more evidence to back up the claim before they could act, but it was too late when the helicopters surrounded the building. The explosion at ground level made the floor quake, and Ridner nearly lost her footing.

The timing was too perfect. L's man Mogi arrived at SPK headquarters, Near threatened L, and SPK headquarters was attacked moments later. Near had to have been on to something; he had made L – no, _Kira_ – nervous, and the man had decided to act.

"Near, you should get out of there," came L's smooth voice over the intercom.

Near responded tartly, as if he'd just had his LEGOs stolen. "Look who's talking, Kira."

"This is too much," Ridner gritted, catching the bound and blindfolded Mogi as the big man wobbled under the force of another explosion. She propped him back up and glared again at the Sakura TV news helicopter that hovered outside their windows.

It had been too dangerous from the start. Maybe Near and Mello had cooperated, but L and the Japanese Taskforce had been one step ahead. They had Kira on their side, and now the SPK was trapped within its own safe house.

A third explosion shook the building. Gevanni ran to the window and peered down. "There's a huge crowd of rioters out there," he alerted them. "Change the channel to Sakura TV and see what they're saying – they must have released our location, and stated that we're anti-Kira."

"How could this have happened?" Lester erupted. "We had the _President of the United States_ announce that we were disbanding! Someone from the inside must have—"

"It was L," Near interrupted plainly.

"Near," Ridner said, while the young detective continued to look ruffled, "If we stay here, we're going to be dragged out."

"We've got no choice but to bring in our men," Lester mumbled, oblivious to both of them.

Near rolled his eyes and directed his retort at the TV screens. "Such foolish people. I'm not surprised that some people support Kira, but _those_ people hope that Kira will bring Justice to an evil world. The people who are storming this building are of a completely different type. A far more hopeless kind…"

"Near, this isn't the time to analyze the people down there," Lester insisted.

"On the contrary," Near replied.

Before Ridner knew it, Near was making arrangements to drop wads upon wads of the old L's inheritance money off the roof of the SPK building. Bait to cause a distraction.

"Let's do it," Near said emotionlessly, when questioned about the waste of good cash. "It's going to be fun."

"Is that really such a wise decision?" Ridner wondered aloud. Gevanni only shrugged and took the inconspicuous uniform that Lester handed him.

But the plan worked, and a brewing, wild chaos was soon created outside as the mob of Kira-loving citizens fought tooth and nail for the fluttering bills.

"We're going to escape now," Near told them. He had already slammed off the communication button that connected them to L in Los Angeles. Ridner could tell that he did not like the idea of being uprooted. "Lester will go outside disguised as one of the rioters, so that Mogi can take his place and the rest of us can escape. He is the only one whose face will not be recognized by Kira. I have already alerted Mello that we are leaving. With all this gear on, we will be able to impersonate members of the Riot Squad. The helmets will hide our identities. We'll have no problems walking straight out through the front entrance."

It seemed a flawless plan, but Ridner still had her doubts. Mello would be somewhere nearby, wild and temperamental, and did Near have the stamina to make it to another location?

They took the freight elevator down, then exited out the front as planned. A hundred dollar bill crinkled beneath Ridner's foot, but she didn't have time to think about it. She and Gevanni protected Near from both sides, pushing Mogi before them to make sure he didn't run off. Lester broke from them immediately, to play his part and find them later. Ridner heard a rather out-of-place giggle and turned around.

Near had his right hand pointed like a toy gun; he was making zapping noises and aiming at random rioters.

Genius detective, indeed.

Smoke clogged their lungs as they fought their way around to the back of the building. Suddenly, Ridner caught a flash of blonde hair.

It was Mello.

She looked again, but he had already disappeared among the crowd. She thought of doubling back. She thought of tracking him, of following him to see where he would lead her. But she had a mission to complete, one that both started and ended with Near and the SPK, and communication with Mello would have to come later.

"Are you still guarding our flank, Ridner?" drifted Near's inquiry over the noise, and Ridner was glad she had not allowed herself to stray as she answered an affirmative. "Very good. Then we can retreat as soon as we round the next bend. Lester will join us within the hour."

They set up in the basement section of their backup base – four floors of annually rented office space in one of New York's resident skyscrapers. It would take them the remainder of the day to clean it out, and the computers couldn't be activated until Gevanni connected them via secure lines. While the dark-haired man worked on the encryptions, Near plopped gratefully onto the floor, only to sneeze when a large puff of dust rose from the carpet. The sound took Ridner by surprise, and her hand flew to her gun on instinct.

"I did not anticipate that we would be needing this alternate location," Near said in apology, looking sheepish. Gevanni got up and found them a vacuum cleaner.

Once Lester had joined them, looking only a little battered, Near hailed Ridner from across a pile of wires and loose equipment.

"Yes?" Ridner asked, wondering if any of them would ever adjust to their new basement quarters.

"Approximately fourteen months ago I installed cameras in the surrounding alleys. Gevanni is working on the connections now. Please sneak outside and find the cameras, then make sure there is nothing in their way and that they are fully operational."

Ridner nodded. Part of her knew that Near had just sent her on a pointless excursion. If Near had put in cameras, then they were likely well protected and still in perfect condition. But the other side of her brain told her to focus on the job despite that. Ridner climbed the rickety staircase that would lead her to the alleyway, careful not to creak the bolted door when she opened it to the outside. Directly across from her was a dented blue dumpster and a pile of broken egg crates. The CIA agent looked to her right, and her neatly trained eye located the first three cameras, unobstructed and unharmed in their strategic positions. She swept the area once more before stepping fully outside and turning to her left.

Mello was lounging against the wall of dirty concrete, watching her.

Ridner's eyes rose to the camera situated above his head. "I suppose you broke that one?" she asked, noting the way it hung haphazardly from its wires and listed at a crazy angle.

Her response was the plunk of a rock being dropped onto the pavement beneath Mello's feet. He smirked.

"They aren't even operational yet," Ridner told him. She nodded to the other cameras. "You didn't have to go so far."

"As if I'd take that chance with Near around."

Mello pushed off from the wall, hips jutting out first and the rest of his body following afterward. His belt buckle glinted and the laces across his pants stretched taught with the motion. He sauntered to the other side of the alley where a fat, lumpy gym bag squatted and delivered it a swift kick.

"I want you to give this to Near," he directed, and when he whirled back around his face was psychotic. "That _idiot_ – wasting L's inheritance money on something so stupid! Couldn't he have found another way to escape? If I had been chosen as L's heir, this never would have happened."

The toe of Mello's boot lashed out again, this time to assault the dumpster. He picked up the gym bag and heaved it in Ridner's direction when his outburst was through. Ridner caught it and watched him whirl away in disgust. One sleeve of his jacket slipped down his shoulder to reveal the skin beneath his tight leather vest.

"Wait, Mello." Mello didn't stop. He was almost out of the alleyway.

Ridner dropped the bag and sprinted the distance between them. Prodigies these days – were all of them so edgy?

"I said to _wait_." She caught Mello by the arm and twisted him into a hold that she knew clamped like a vise. Then, for good measure, she slammed him into the concrete wall.

"_Shit._" Mello hissed, thrashing wildly to throw her off. "You're going to regret that." But Ridner held strong.

"What's in the bag you gave me?" she asked tightly.

Mello stilled. Then he laughed. "Too scared to open it and see? It's money, Hal. L's money. Matt and I collected as much of it off the streets as we could."

When her first name fell from Mello's lips, Hal Ridner relaxed. It had bothered her to hear it from him when they'd first met, but the practice had since become something familiar. Trustworthy. Slowly, she released Mello and retreated to a submissive distance.

"Why are you giving it back?"

Mello ripped a chocolate bar out of his pocket and tore at it with murderous intent. "Matt wanted to keep it, but it belonged to L. If L wanted Near to have it, then I had no choice _but_ to return it, did I?" His eyes narrowed as the seconds ticked on, and he stared at her. "How did you know I didn't have a gun on me?" he asked next. Suspicion grated in his voice like glass shards.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ridner responded, nodding to his waistline as coolly as possible. "You always tuck your gun away in the front of your pants. It's not there. And you used a rock to break the camera. You don't have it."

"How do you know it's not hidden in my jacket?"

"Unlikely, considering your vanity and your need to consistently display power, Mello."

He squinted at her a while longer, licking his chocolate thoughtfully. "So you viciously attacked me? Very clever, Hal, but not a good long term decision on your part."

"I'll believe your threats the day you finally kill me, Mello. And I wouldn't call that a vicious attack." There was no rapid tattoo of fear sounding in her chest this time. Whether it was because Mello had come unarmed or because she had grown accustomed to his appearances, Ridner found that she was almost comfortable.

"Give Near back the cash," Mello ordered again, pulling up his hood and turning around. Then, "How long until he re-establishes the connection with L?"

"I'm not telling you," Ridner said. "…Days."

An estimate couldn't hurt.


	9. Trust

The days at the new headquarters passed slowly. It took them forty-eight hours to recover every file and scrap of data that they'd left behind at their old location. Before that had even been accomplished, Near had asked if Gevanni could recover the connection with L. Gevanni had replied that it would be up and running "within a couple of days," but now four had passed and Ridner was feeling as useless as ever. She did normal rounds outside the building, and checked to make sure that none would discover Near's current hideaway. She even spent one afternoon at target training with Lester to brush up on her aim.

They kept Mogi with them at all times; he was an even tougher stone than Lester, and he wouldn't talk — that is, he didn't talk until Near managed to hook another member of the Taskforce named Aizawa. Aizawa met with them of his own accord and offered Near evidence from their last investigation, when the real L had still been alive. When Near was sure he had gained the man's trust, he released Aizawa and Mogi both. After they had gone, he made another leap in logic.

L was Light Yagami, and Light Yagami was Kira.

Near set to compiling evidence, Lester at his side night and day, while Gevanni and Ridner did whatever they could from the sidelines.

When Near dismissed her early one dull weekday, Ridner decided she would go home and reflect. Perhaps reviewing the case files once more — combing them for any missed evidence — would give them all something to look into while they waited for L to slip up in his calculations.

Ridner opened her apartment door that afternoon, and there was a new intruder waiting for her.

It was a boy in stripes and goggles, lounging in her kitchen chair and tapping away on a handheld video game. Ridner swept up her gun and pointed it at his chest from across the room.

"Oh, hi," he said, tossing his reddish hair away from his eyes and setting the game on the table. "Relax," he added, motioning nervously for her to lower her gun. "I'm Mello's guy. He sent me here to see you. My name is Matt."

Ridner shifted from the doorway to the living area, but she kept her weapon trained on his chest.

"Jesus, for such a fearless woman, I didn't think you'd be stubborn, too. I said I was with Mello." Matt checked the clock on his cell phone. "Actually, Mello should be here pretty soon himself…."

There came the sound of harried footsteps on cue, and the blond boy burst haphazardly through Ridner's door.

"Matt," Mello called, raking the hair away from his eyes before he noticed there was anything amiss. "Matt, I thought I told you to leave the…" he trailed off as he caught sight of Ridner with her gun glued to his friend. "What are you _doing?_"

Ridner sighed. For the love of God, wasn't this her apartment?

"I'd like to know what _you're_ doing," she replied, nodding in Matt's direction to make it clear that she required an explanation or she'd shoot the redhead for sheer boredom-cure.

Mello moved toward the boy in stripes and fisted a hand in his red mop. Matt didn't even glance up from his video game. "Jesus, Matt, didn't you even tell her who you are?"

"I did," Matt responded. Then he cursed loudly at the device.

"Pay attention," Mello raged, "Or she's going to shoot the shit out of you. I wouldn't put it past her these days."

Matt reached up with a gloved hand to yank his hair free of his tormentor. He saved his game, put the little console down, and promptly gave Mello the finger. "You're a real fun-sucker, Mellowy Mello." He said it casually. "She knew I wasn't going to hurt her."

Ridner watched in astonishment as Mello seized the other boy's hair again. "Fuck you. And if you call me that name one more time, I'll feed you to Near in fleshy pieces."

"Save me from the albino baby in pajamas," Matt wailed with mock mortification. Mello slapped him upside the head, and Ridner saw the tinted goggles shake loose from the impact. "Ow, ow— OW, MELLO!" Now Mello was ripping the goggles off with a snarl.

When they dangled in Mello's hand, Mello delivered Matt a kick to the shins. "Get out of her kitchen chair, asshole. Hal, this is Matt."

Ridner stowed her weapon. "Pleased to meet you," she said stoically. Matt grunted and offered her a wave. Then she looked at Mello. "I see why you keep him around."

"Yeah," Matt allowed gruffly, bestowing Mello with a noogey of pure resentment as he passed them and took up new residence on Ridner's couch. "Mello keeps me around so he has someone to beat on when he can't get close enough to Near…."

Mello seethed his way after Matt and landed the striped boy a punch to the gut. "Keep your mouth shut, Jeevas."

"That isn't what I meant," Ridner interrupted, hoping that the two would not break into a brawl on her living room floor. She inclined her head in Matt's direction. "There's grease on your shirtsleeve," she exclaimed, "and burns in your jeans like you were working with something electrical. Are you good with machines?"

Matt had been fishing a cigarette from a pack in his front pocket, but he paused when she asked him the question. "I'm good at everything," he admitted finally, recovering enough to pull out his lighter next. "I can fix cars, mess around with motor bikes, hack any network I feel like hacking…. Damn, Mello. This chick is sharp."

Mello regarded him snidely from the corner of his eye. "Don't smoke in here," he commanded, and when Matt ignored him Mello snatched the boy's lighter with phenomenal speed. Matt took a dive for it. Mello tossed it onto Ridner's floor and crunched it into metallicky, plasticky bits under his boot. Lighter fluid leaked onto the hardwood.

"_Mello, _goddamn it!"

"Matt is helping me monitor everything Near does," Mello volunteered while Ridner's eyebrow ticked at the mess beneath her coffee table, "And everything L does, to the extent that he can. It's not foolproof, but we've been tracking all movement so far." Satisfied that Matt could no longer wreak any havoc, Mello joined his furious partner on the couch and waited for Ridner to take a chair.

"Where'd you find this guy?" Ridner asked, curiosity about Matt getting the better of her in increments.

"Jesus," Matt yelped, "I'm right here, you know! And Mello, you'd be shit out of luck without me to save your sorry ass after that circus gig you pulled. So don't you go feeding this chick any lines about how badass you are by yourself." Then Matt went back to his game, fuming at the buttons when they didn't do what he wanted.

Mello averted his eyes and lifted a hand unconsciously to the scar that formed a net across his face. A shock of understanding ran through Ridner's consciousness.

It would have been impossible for Mello to tend to himself after an explosion the size of the one that had trapped L's Taskforce. He had more than likely come out burnt — to the third degree or worse — with a body weak and useless. No mafia to order to help him, no trained agents at his beck and call. Yet somehow, Mello had survived, and recovered fast enough to come sneaking up on SPK members in the alleyways outside their houses. The bandages had been fresh then, Ridner remembered. With what she knew of Mello, there was no way he would have trusted a doctor to do the job — and not just because going to a doctor would get his name into a system that could trace him. No, Mello would have had to go to someone he trusted, completely and entirely, or accepted help from some concerned passerby that didn't know of his history, even if that person hardly knew what he was doing. That was why Mello had scarred so badly. But Mello had never complained, never cared, because the person that had saved him had been someone that meant something to him. And that person was…?

"Matt, was it?" Ridner looked at the redhead with new respect.

Matt glanced up, happy to focus on something other than his troublesome game. "Oh, finally decided to acknowledge my presence?"

"I'm sorry," she said, aware that Mello was watching her through narrowed lids. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"No big deal," Matt shrugged. "Hanging around a mannerless guy like Mello, I can see how the habit would rub off." Mello, who had been taking off his gloves, reached out and whacked him.

"Go ahead and tell me what you came here for," Ridner told them both. "I'll tell you what I can, within reason."

Matt looked relieved. "Ever since Near released those two Japanese guys from your headquarters, we've been tailing them," he said. "The big one — Mogi — he's really boring to watch. I mean, how straitlaced can one guy possibly be…."

Mello growled, "get to the point," and raised a hand to seize Matt by the hair again, but Matt was faster for once. He caught Mello by the wrist and licked Mello's fingers. "Let me talk, Mellowy Mello. And your fingers taste gross."

Mello tore his hand free and viciously began scrubbing it clean on his thigh. "Then don't fucking lick them!"

"Anyway," Matt continued coolly, "We uh… need more help."

Ridner sagged in disbelief. "What?" she groaned, losing her composure for the first time in ages. "I already told you exactly where those two men would be released — on Near's orders, no less. I can't tell you anything else!"

"I told you it was useless, Mello," Matt grumbled. "We're stuck in front of the monitors again, being bored."

Mello tugged his gun from its usual place and pointed it across the room at Ridner. "Talk, Hal."

Ridner rolled her eyes. "Do you really think that's any good anymore?"

Mello jammed the gun back into position.

"There's one other thing I can tell you, but I assumed you would have known it by now."

"Just tell us," Mello grated.

Ridner bit the inside of her lip. She cycled through the information in her head. It was not paramount to capturing Light Yagami at this point, and it was information that Near had possessed for a long while. It would not put her into jeopardy to pass the tip to Mello, and if a problem arose in the future… Ridner would deal with it then. Perhaps Mello could do more with the knowledge than Near was doing, for the time being.

"There's a girl that we suspect of being the second Kira," Ridner said. "She's tied to the Japanese Taskforce. That's all the information I can safely give you. You'll have to work with it."

Matt's eyes went wide at the information, and then he regained his composure. "We can probably do that," he murmured, glancing over at Mello, who was spread out like a cat on his half of the couch. "What do you think?" When Mello sat musing instead of providing an answer, Matt leaned back and sighed. "Remind me again why we didn't just stay out of trouble like good little children."

"Because L died," Mello replied at once, and Matt slapped his hands on his knees and stood up.

"Yeah, you're right. So let's get the hell out of here and avenge him. Then I can smoke a cigarette, huh?" Matt waved at Ridner on his way out. "See you, and thanks loads. Try not to let Near bully you, okay? Give him hell for me. Mello, I'll wait outside."

The blond canted his head in acknowledgement. Ridner looked from one boy to the other as Matt adjusted his goggles and clomped outside in his furry vest.

"This case is important to him too, isn't it," Ridner observed, rising from the chair she was in to make herself a cup of coffee by the stove.

"Don't mistake it for what it's not," Mello said, toying with the beads on his rosary absently. "He's been with me a lot lately, but we haven't been what you'd call _close_, and he was never close to L. I helped him, so now he's helping me. I wasn't sure I wanted to bring him into this, but it was too late when—" Mello cut himself off.

Ridner's fingers strayed from the coffee pot to find the spoon she'd left on the counter. "When he saved your ass?" she quoted slyly. "It's not a bad thing to trust in people."

"Trust in people gets you killed." Somehow, Ridner knew he was alluding to the first L.

"You seem to trust _me_."

Mello got up to leave. "But you were always different, Hal."

Ridner felt her chest tighten. "Will you be coming back?" She abandoned her coffee to watch him go.

"If I need your help," Mello clarified, and then he was gone.


End file.
